Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A Week Of Firsts

Just like the title says, this is a week of firsts. It's the first time I canned pickles. I wasn't actually planning on canning pickles, but, our 6 small cucumber plants kept producing pickles and more pickles. I figured we would just eat them in a salad. But, there was too many of them to just eat. I can go out once a week and come back with a 5 gallon bucket full, I mean REALLY full. So I got a few packets of Mrs Wages pickle seasonings and went at it. One packet said it would do 7 quarts. It actually did 4 1/2. And at 2.98 a packet, that is too expensive! So I am looking for a recipe that I can mix myself. But as I said earlier, I wasn't planning on canning pickles this year.

Another first this week, I canned green beans. They are actually easy. A lot easier than I thought. I only did 5 quarts though, so far. I expect more to come. Now the problem is I want to eat them as soon as I can them.

I also made peach butter this week. I had a few VERY ripe peaches left after we bought some from a local orchard. I removed the pits and the skins, added sugar and cinnamon, and boiled them down until they got thick. Hubby doesn't like peaches, but he LOVED the peach butter. I only had enough for one pint. But, the yellow peaches will be ready in about one week. So, I plan on buying a lot to make some more.

Last but now least, I picked the first ripe tomato!!!!!! It was a cherry tomato, but that still counts. It tasted soooooooooooo good. I took a knife and cut it in half and me and Hubby shared it. It was the smallest bite I have ever taken of a tomato, but probably the the best tasting. Although, the first tomato of the summer always tastes the best.

Since this is Wednesday, I wonder what other first I can pack into this week. Skydiving? Bungee jumping? Driving a race car? Naaa, I'll just stick to vegetables.

8 comments:

Yes, like you said, the first mata is the BEST!! You are growning a ton of cucumbers or pickles!! wow! Are they really small? Don't much about cucumbers or pickles...except that I really like them! Esp. Bread n Butter pickels! Peach butter sounds very yummy. What do you do with it? Put it on Bread, ice cream?? You should print out the recipe! Sounds goooood...debbie

Thanks for asking your questions. Now I'll try to answer them. The cucumbers are anywhere from 8 in. to 12 in. They are big and round. But, the seeds arn't very big. I think they are called streight eight. I think I will put the recipe of the peach butter on here at a later date. Thanks for the idea. You can use it just like apple butter.

Congats! After canning my own pickles store bought just don't cut it. I make bread and butter pickles and dill pickles. I make my own seasoning from a recipe out of the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. It was cheap, easy, and delicious. If you plan on doing a lot of canning I highly recommend this book.

Does the Ball book have recipes for Salsa? I have used Mrs. Wages mix for years and everyone loves it. But the price has gotten way too high for me!! I need a salsa mix that I can make myself, in both mild and hot. Can you (or anyone else) recommend a source?

About Me

I grew up on 2 acres of land north of Columbus OH. Mom had a small garden,I had a horse,and Dad had his tractor, but we were far from what you would call homesteaders. It wasn't until I moved to Kentucky and married my husband did I start to have a small interest in growing a garden again. We have a few head of cattle, a small herd of horses, a flock of chickens and 2 dogs. And the garden, it keeps growing and growing each year. We decided we want to be more self-reliant. I don't know much about homesteading, but I'm willing to learn as I go. Oh, this could get good.